1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method of manufacturing a scintillator layer for a detector for the detection of electromagnetic radiation transmitted by an object, in which a scintillator layer for converting the radiation of a first energy level into radiation of a second energy level is provided on a photosensor layer for converting such radiation into an electric current, and in which the scintillator layer, comprising a plurality of scintillator elements, is provided with intermediate layers which extend in the vertical direction along the side faces of the scintillator elements.
2. Description of Related Art
Scintillator layers of detectors which are used, for example in computer tomographs, customarily consist of cadmium tungstate [CWO] (CdWO.sub.4), of yttrium gadolinium oxide [YGO] (Y,Gd).sub.2 O.sub.3 :E) or of gadolinium oxysulphides [GOS] (Gd.sub.2 O.sub.2 S:Pr). Such materials provide conversion of radiation of a first energy level into radiation of a second energy level, for example, the conversion of X-rays into visible light in the case of computer tomographs.
The international patent application WO 95/04289 describes a detector with a scintillator layer which consists of a two-dimensional array of scintillator elements, i.e. a plurality of rows of scintillator elements arranged parallel to one another. The scintillator elements are formed by monocrystals. Between the scintillator elements there are provided optical separation layers which extend along the side faces of the scintillator elements. These layers are provided with a thickness of from 0.05 to 1 .mu.m by metal deposition. The materials used for these layers are aluminium, tungsten, molybdenum, iron, chromium, nickel, gold, silver or copper.
Since recently it is attempted to enhance the resolution, and hence the image quality, of X-ray examination devices, notably computer tomographs, by utilizing detectors comprising a larger number of detector elements or scintillator elements. This gain in respect of optical resolution, however, is accompanied by the drawback of increased crosstalk between neighboring scintillator elements, which increase is due to the crossing over of photons and X-ray quanta.
Citation of a reference herein, or throughout this specification, is not to construed as an admission that such reference is prior art to the Applicant's invention of the invention subsequently claimed.